00:00The Trinidad and Tobago Association for the Hearing Impaired is scheduled to convene a disciplinary committee on Monday, August 17th
00:07to look into two allegations made against an executive of the association.
00:12The first pertains to $5 million, which is a matter of discrepancy at this time.
00:17Public Relations Officer of TAHI, Darren Winchester, says the funds were first flagged in June by the Ministry of the
00:24People, Social Development and Family Services.
00:26The association initially labelled it as illegitimate.
00:30And we made some representation to support our legal process.
00:41But subsequent to that, there was some allegations that was made, right?
00:47So, of course, those allegations have to be investigated.
00:50They surround the same $5 million?
00:54Yes, yes, yes.
00:55That, he says, occurred in July.
00:58I was given, in a meeting, an explanation.
01:05And we were supposed to be provided with corroborating evidence about what expenses were that subsaturated prison figures.
01:19We were told about the clustering.
01:21It was just bad accounting.
01:23And we are waiting for those figures to present themselves.
01:27And then, recently, claims of sexual harassment made against this same executive member.
01:33Winchester reveals that over the period, information continued to pile up onto the initial claims, spawning concern.
01:40And with regards to the allegation, nobody is shying away from it.
01:44And nobody is, there's no one to protect any guilt in that situation.
01:50TAHI is supposed to be a safe place.
01:53He admits that the situation was initially handled poorly when the board was asked to look into both matters,
01:59with staff being locked out of certain areas.
02:02According to Winchester, it led to more scrutiny.
02:05Further to those allegations, a letter outlining that the association, on the 14th of February,
02:10fired six security guards, comprising both deaf and hard-of-hearing staff,
02:15while stating that it will aid in getting them a disability grant under the government.
02:20They were replaced by a security company.
02:23Winchester says their contracts came to an end and TAHI did not renew,
02:27as they did not have a certificate to hire security guards in the first place.
02:31This was flagged by the line ministry, and also raised by the police service.
02:36There were a few incidents that took place.
02:38The police at one time came to investigate an incident,
02:41did mention to us that we should not be doing what we're doing there.
02:45It is not security.
02:47But that incident was sometimes coming in the night, or at least Saturday morning.
02:51Of course, when you're blowing the horn, they're not hearing it.
02:54Bureaucracy, he says, has held up the grant applications for the workers,
02:58which will inevitably see them receive $2,000 compared to their initial $6,000 salary.
03:04Also under contention is a matter concerning a deaf worker who was on a two-year contract
03:08and then moved to a three-month contract without explanation after serving four years as a TAHI employee.
03:15Workers at the association are peeved, as the man was moved from accounting into Dreci,
03:20a position that caused him frustration, leading to him rejecting the contract renewal.
03:25But according to Winchester, his substantive position was at Dreci,
03:29although he was initially allowed to operate as a floating worker.
03:33Amid TAHI's restructuring, workers feel as if the deaf and hard of hearing
03:37are being strategically pushed out of the association.
03:40It would be, as far as I say, obscene, an organization that represents deaf.
03:47It is screwing out the deaf.
03:50That's not a good look, right?
03:52But it's not something that is under any act of consideration to replace them.
03:57Meanwhile, TAHI held elections in December virtually.
04:01Some members are disgruntled, alleging that they were barred from voting.
04:05Winchester says the concerns are legitimate,
04:08but the way forward would also warrant an investigation.
04:11TAHI says an update would be forthcoming next week on the disciplinary board,
04:15an allegation of a lack of training and the shortened contract of the employee.
04:21Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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